Classic Fighters 2009 #22: Final Attack

At the conclusion of the airshow was the customary mock attack, complete with pyrotechnics and aircraft that seem to be going everywhere! It was also my final chance to photograph a few of the aircraft that I had missed earlier in the day, such as the North American P51-D Mustang and Curtis P-40E Kittyhawk.

By this stage I was back at my own [rented] aircraft, ready to pre-flight and get away as soon as possible, to try and avoid fading light and then ECT.

Here are a few of the photos I got during that final attack. Obviously the Spitfire is one, then the P-40E, the P51, a couple of Harvards and a look across the crowd to final approach. I hope you have enjoyed this photographic series [almost] as much as I enjoyed taking them and posting them up for you :-)

It was, as they say, the perfect end to a perfect day.

Classic Fighters 2009 #21: Royal Aircraft BE2F

This is the first time I have seen the Royal Aircraft BE2F, ZK-BFR, so I don't have too much to say about it [a pilot with little to say? That's a miracle!] Perhaps the best information comes courtesy of The Vintage Aviator - these are the people who built this aircraft, and the certainly know their stuff. Check out their website for all the details of the rebuild.

Classic Fighters 2009 #20: Fokker Dr.1 Dreidecker

Being a Classic fighters airshow, it was very good to see a small number of World War One fighters being flown. These aircraft are reproductions of the original, not merely replicas - true to the originals in every respect possible.

I've seen this type at Masterton aerodrome before, notably during the 2008 Remembrance Day display [click here for the photos from that display] and it's always good to see these old birds up where they belong!

Classic Fighters 2009 #19: RNZAF Red Checkers - post # 2

The Red Checkers [see previous post] don't just entertain in the air. In recent times, they've taken to putting on the smoke and doing donuts after landing... another thing you're allowed to do in your plane, but not in your car? :-)

Anyway, here's the sequence.

Classic Fighters 2009 #18: RNZAF Red Checkers - post # 1

The Royal New Zealand Air Force's display team is called the Red Checkers, flying the Pacific Aerospace CT4/E Airtrainer. The team is made up of instructor pilots from the RNZAF's Central Flying School [CFS]. The CFS trains the Air Force's instructors, so these people really are the best.

Here are a number of pictures from the Red Checkers display. The final picture is the start of the spaghetti break - basically the team fly direct towards to crowd, then go in all directions...! It looks nuts, but they seem to know what they're doing!

Classic Fighters 2009 #17: Various De Havilland types

De Havilland is a well known type in New Zealand from the DH82A Tiger Moth trainer, through to early airliners such as the DH89B Dominie. There was a fairly short display of the DH89B Dominie and the DH83 Fox Moth earlier on in the show.

Here are some of the airborne and static displays. The first two are the DH82A Tiger Moth, then the DH89B Dominie, followed by the DH83 Fox Moth, followed by the airborne display.

Classic Fighters 2009 #16: Bristol Freighter

This Bristol Freighter used to be operated by SAFE Air [as ZK-CPT] when they operated, rather than just maintain, aircraft. For many years, this aircraft was parked up at Omaka gather dust and rust. Recently however, with a bit of TLC and some engineering expertise, the aircraft was put into a "taxiable" condition, and the engines were started up again.

I was able to stick my head up into the cockpit and get some photos [they're not very good, sorry]. It's fair to say that there was little or no consideration given to ergonomics in those days :-)

There seems to be no chance the the aircraft will fly again, and looking at the smoke coming out of the right hand engine, I somehow doubt that it will taxi around much either, still it was good to see.

Anyway, here are the photos. The first is of the aircraft on static display. The next two are of the cockpit. The next is of the aircraft taxiing out [look, no smoke], and the last two are of the right-hand engine generating copious quantities of smoke :-(. Still, it was awesome to see it moving along with its big noisy :-) engines!

Classic Fighters 2009 #15: SPITFIRE!!

Yeah, you can see in the post title, I'm pretty excited!!

Wow! I finally get to see a real Supermarine Spitfire Mk. IX, ZK-SPI. WOW! It's up close and get to see it in the air!

The Supermarine Spitfire must be one of the best known aircraft of World War 2, particularly amongst those of us in the Commonwealth. The Spitfire is one of those aircraft that exemplifies the saying If it looks right, it'll fly right. This particular aircraft is owned by Brendan Deere, nephew of Al Deere - a World War 2 RAF fighter ace - and carries the markings used by Al Deere when he was Wing Commander at Biggin Hill.

This aircraft only finished it's fight tests earlier in April, so it was really good to see it being put through its paces at Classic Fighters so soon. For more specific information on this aircraft, including a load of photos, click here! I understand that the aircraft is still based at RNZAF Base Ohakea [from where the flight test programme was carried out].

Enough of my irrelevant ramblings [rantings?]. Here's the photos. I took all but the last one which was supplied by David Brewer - another aviation fella from the Wellington Aero Club.

Did I say WOW? :-)



P.S. Just in case anyone is wondering, this is my favourite aircraft of the show :-)